How bad is that new Apple spyware vulnerability?

Apple just released software updates for its operating systems for iPhones, Watches and Macs. And if you own any one of those devices, you should install the update. Like, right now.

That’s because the update contains an emergency fix for a major spyware vulnerability. Business Insiderreports that the vulnerability, discovered by Canadian academic research group The Citizen Lab, allows hackers to access Apple devices without the user having to click a malicious link first. This means that users will have no idea that their device has been hacked. The spyware, called Pegasus, can reportedly “do everything an iPhone user can do on their device and more.”

“After identifying the vulnerability used by this exploit for iMessage, Apple rapidly developed and deployed a fix in iOS 14.8 to protect our users,” said Ivan Krstić, head of Apple Security Engineering and Architecture. “We’d like to commend Citizen Lab for successfully completing the very difficult work of obtaining a sample of this exploit so we could develop this fix quickly.”